Opinion page editor Rick Holmes and other writers blog about national politics and issues. Holmes & Co. is a Blog for Independent Minds, a place for a free-flowing discussion of policy, news and opinion. This blog is the online cousin of the Opinion
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Opinion page editor Rick Holmes and other writers blog about national politics and issues. Holmes & Co. is a Blog for Independent Minds, a place for a free-flowing discussion of policy, news and opinion. This blog is the online cousin of the Opinion section of the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Mass. As such, our focus starts there and spreads to include Massachusetts, the nation and the world. Since successful blogs create communities of readers and writers, we hope the \x34& Co.\x34 will also come to include you.

Every day seems to bring another direct mail piece from the “LCV Victory Fund,” a PAC run by the League of Conservation Voters. They are all bashing Gabriel Gomez. One is all about Gomez’ opposition to bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. One bashes him as “another Wall Street insider putting the rich ahead of the middle class.” A third features a chart showing the differences between Gomez and Ed Markey on four issues: “Standing up to Big Oil,” insurance coverage for birth control, gun safety, and “putting the Middle Class and Seniors First.”

Here’s my problem with this: The League of Conservation Voters is beating up on Gomez not because he’s done anything to arouse their ire and pry open the wallets of their donors. The LCV just supports Ed Markey, because Markey is a major environmental champion.

The LCV could be making the case for Markey on environmental grounds. Markey has led the fight against BP and oil company tax breaks. He wrote – and got the House to pass – the strongest climate change bill ever. The LCV could tell that story, not only boosting their candidate but making the issues environmentalists care about count in a major election, which should be their main goal.

Instead, the League of Conservation Voters — which by law is not supposed to coordinate with the campaign — bankrolls mailings that ignore conservation issues and instead repeat the tired old talking points the Markey campaign has been repeating over and over again. Campaign consultants are a cynical bunch.